Setanta Cup - Getting to know Portadown
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Setanta Cup - Getting to know Portadown
A Brief History
The club was founded in the late 1880s and joined the Irish League in 1924. They didn’t have to wait long to win their first trophy claiming the League Cup in 1933. Their first Championship came in the 1989/90 season and they went on to claim another three over the next twelve years including a League and cup double in 1990/91.
Honours
League Championships 4, Irish Cup 3, League Cup 2
The season so far
One win in their first eight games of the season severely dented Portadown’s chances of repeating last season’s second placed finish as they struggled to replace the goals Matthew Tipton supplied before his departure to Linfield. The arrival of Gary Twigg has helped steady the ship and given hope for a better second half to the season.
Setanta Cup History
Portadown have qualified for the tournament on five previous occasions, going out in the group stages in the first three years of the competition. They failed to qualify for the 2008/09 and 2009/10 tournaments but had their most successful outing in the 2011 campaign going out to Sligo Rovers in the quarter-final 5-0 on aggregate. They went out in the first round in last year’s competition, beaten home and away by Bohemians.
Manager
Ronnie McFall was appointed Portadown manager in 1986 and is the second longest serving manager, after Alex Ferguson, in European club football. He delivered the club’s first league title in 1990 and went on to win the league a further three times to become one of the most successful managers in Irish League history.
One to Watch
Darren Murray arrived in the summer from Donegal Celtic and the attacking midfielder immediately hit the ground running, chipping in with eleven league goals this season. He looks to have struck up a good understanding with the newly arrived Gary Twigg. Special mention: Kevin Braniff, former Millwall striker also carries a big goal scoring threat.
